“Something funny?” Jesse says, curling his arms around my waist and slowly drawing me back towards the water.
“No, no, no, no, no,” I say, pressing my hands against his warm chest. “Don’t you dare.”
Too fucking late.
Jesse laughs and not a second later, we both go crashing down into the water with all the boys rushing in to join us and making the situation so much worse.
I stand in the water absolutely drenched and while I feel utterly miserable as I drip with water, I can’t help but laugh, knowing that without a doubt, I’m having the best summer of my life with new friends that I love and a boyfriend who makes every single day worth living.
Chapter 14
Kaylah
Why, oh why did summer have to end? It was the best summer I’ve ever had. Though I can’t deny that being a senior is also pretty damn thrilling, especially having the new king of Broken Hill High as your boyfriend.
It’s absolutely ridiculous. The kind of love Jesse got during our junior year was insane, but this is just off the charts. He’s the guy that has the final say, he’s the one who they all look to, he’s the shining star, and I couldn’t be happier to be his girl.
I walk through the doors of one of the biggest parties in Haven Falls with Jesse right by my side. I don’t know what convinced us to come here tonight, but the second the words Haven Falls came through his mouth, I was more than ready to jump at the opportunity.
Jackson and Tyson have tagged along with us while everyone else decided to stay in Broken Hill for the night. Tyson instantly disappears and I watch after him with a sigh. He’s been acting super weird since summer ended and while my head is telling me it’s got something to do with Brylee going away to Yale, my gut thinks I’m being silly. There’s nothing going on between them, at least, I don’t think there is.
I find a few of the girls that I used to hang out with at Haven Falls and they instantly welcome me in as Jesse and Jackson go and fuck around, causing all sorts of havoc just as they usually do.
The two of them together is one thing, but having them together while at an out of control house party is just an accident waiting to happen.
I try to ignore them as I dance and have fun with the girls, though I can’t help but feel that it’s not the same. Being around people from my old school without Henley just feels wrong. It’s not like we hung out with these girls much, we were more of an awesome twosome, but when we did, it was always fun. I hate that things are still bad with her but I don’t know what to do. Every time I even think about talking to her, the image of her with Jackson comes shooting back and my gut twists with betrayal.
Why does it have to be so hard?
As I make my way around, I see guys like Noah Cage and Rivers. They’re the two who would now be in the same position as Jesse and Tyson. They’re at the top of Haven Falls and I don’t doubt that everyone here is watching them with bated breath, just dying to see what they do next.
I see Noah’s sister, Tully, making her way around and then girls like Monica and Candice who were always there to make my life a living hell. Well, look at me now. I have one of the guys that they’ve always strived to be with. I’m so glad I don’t have to put up with that shit anymore. I’m in such a better place now.
I’m busy dancing when Jesse and Jackson come up on either side of me and hook an arm around mine. They drag me off the dance floor until I’m safely standing out in the fresh air. “What the hell was that? I was dancing.”
Jesse throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me into his side. “I missed you,” he grins wide.
I roll my eyes. He didn’t miss me, they were just looking for a way to get under my skin so they could laugh about it later like teenage girls.
I turn around and when a see a blast from my past, I come to a standstill, sucking in a breath at the sight of Henley Bronx smoking with Spencer Jones. What the hell? Henley and Spencer? What is she doing with him? He’s not exactly a good guy. He’s not the worst, but definitely not a great choice of companion.
Jackson sees it almost at the same time that I do, but unlike me who stopped in my tracks, he forged forward in anger. Jackson plucked the cigarette from Henley’s unsuspecting fingers and dropped it on the ground before putting it out under his shoe.